UK - One London tradition that shows no sign of abating is the Last Night of the Proms celebrations in Hyde Park, hosted by Sir Terry Wogan. The open-air concert features a host of musical stars, including the perennial BBC Concert Orchestra - and this year Rufus Wainwright and Earth, Wind & Fire joined the bill.

London-based rental company Capital Sound once again provided the audio infrastructure for the event, deploying their expanding network of Optocore X6R-FX interfaces to provide a fully redundant loop; this encompassed the ten delay positions as well as the VIP platform and covered veranda, all distributed from the FOH rack presided over by experienced system tech Toby Donovan.

The Optocore racks have been a frequent visitor to Hyde Park this summer, having been deployed earlier at the Barclaycard British Summer Time Festival.

To accomplish this, Capital Sound techni

UK - ETC's recently introduced Nomad Puck - a tiny self contained computer which takes the place of either an Eos family or Cobalt family lighting desk - has been making a name for itself at the Edinburgh Festival.

The Pleasance, a Fringe venue with 23 different performance spaces, originally used a SmartFade - ETC's smallest console - in one of their spaces. But when Calder Sibbald at ETC's Edinburgh-based dealer Black Light offered them a Nomad Puck for use instead, they were keen to give it a try, especially given the extra power it would bring.

Over at the Forth Children's Theatre, lighting designer Grant Anderson, who had programmed the lighting for two Edinburgh shows on an ETC Ion, was delighted when he could upload his show file for one to a Nomad Puck, while the other could remain on the Ion.

"I already had the Eos show files for Les Misérables,&q

UK - Known for ground-breaking touring productions, the National Theatre of Scotland continues to amaze audiences across Scotland and the UK. The company's latest season features not only new productions, but new lighting technology to help each story shine. A fleet of new moving lights and control equipment from entertainment lighting specialist White Light will light up productions including The Tin Forest and The James Plays for 2014 and beyond.

Heading into the summer, Paul Claydon - head of lighting at the National Theatre Scotland - began looking for additions to the theatre company's permanent stocks. He worked with White Light's Antony Vine to determine the right mix of equipment, based on the key requirements of flexibility and touring endurance. With no permanent performance space, National Theatre Scotland productions are often on the road nationally and

UK - Robe, Clay Paky and Shure have been announced as the headline sponsors for PLASA London 2014. The show, which returns to ExCeL London for a second consecutive year starts on Sunday 5 October and is expecting visitor numbers of over 13,000. There they will see 250 exhibiting brands and 100 hours of educational seminar content along with numerous press launches, parties, networking events and gala dinners.

Robe Lighting is Platinum Sponsor for the third year running and will mark the occasion by occupying a huge, 1,000 square metre space on the show floor. Robe World - PLASA London's biggest ever stand - promises to deliver a new experience to visitors, while showcasing the manufacturer's range of innovative, high-quality moving lights and digital lighting products for the professional entertainment and leisure, architectural, and themed environment industries.

The s

Croatia - Started in 2008 by a collective, with a view to showcasing their sound systems, Croatia's Outlook Festival radically upgraded its production in 2011, and brought in RG Jones Sound Engineering and their premium Martin Audio systems to provide potent main stage reinforcement.

They introduced the Harbour Arena, boasting idyllic views across the water to the bay of Pula on the Istrian coast, and doubled the capacity, as drum and bass, dubstep and reggae acts / DJs performed against the background of other makeshift stages, created within this abandoned 160-year-old Fort at Punta Christo. Today it describes itself as "the largest bass music and sound system culture festival in Europe".

RG Jones project manager Steve Carr is now used to hauling Martin Audio loudspeaker systems into this secluded area, set high on a hill, and this summer he again set up first for

UK - The Theatres Trust announces the full programme of events on its TheatreStage at PLASA London from 5 - 8 October at ExCel London. A total of 21 presentations will be held on the TheatreStage - running over all four days of the PLASA London show.

TheatreStage provides a focus on the show floor for visitors and the theatre industry to network and learn about projects, initiatives, campaigns and organisations connected to the theatre sector.

New initiatives launched from TheatreStage this year include The Backstage Heritage Collection, and the ALD / Lightmongers' Award for Lighting Design 2014. The Theatres Trust will also launch its new Workshop Programme to support theatres developing capital projects and other key issues, and announce plans for next year's Theatres Trust Conference 15: Valuing Theatres on 23 June 2015.

Award highlights include the Technical Theatre Awar

USA - Twelve of Robe's new BMFL Spot luminaires - launched worldwide on 2 September - were utilized by lighting designer Preston Hoffman of Pulse Lighting for a stunning installation that illuminated Boston City Hall, transforming it into a bold and vibrant backdrop for the 2014 Boston Calling Music Festival.

The Festival's two main stages were built in the City Hall Plaza in front of the City Hall building at 90 degrees to one another.

Hoffman, well known for his work as a rock 'n' roll lighting designer, was commissioned by festival organisers Crash Line Productions to make the building rock for the occasion!

Hoffman started using Robe a couple of years ago after encountering their fixtures on a festival in Germany, and now uses Robe products for many of his larger projects. This one had extra resonance because it was his first chance to illuminate a landmark in his home c

UK - Manchester-based creative multimedia agency Tadah! mixed with the stars recently after being commissioned to make the official promotional film for the switching on of the Blackpool Illuminations for VisitBlackpool.

Launched in May of this year, Tadah! has already won a clutch of work on behalf of a wide range of national clients, including a number of well known 'blue chip' brands. The project in Blackpool was delivered together with Bark Media, a video and audio production company based in Manchester.

Over 18,000 people attended the iconic switching-on of the resort's illuminations by comedian Peter Kay and as ever there were a host of pop stars and celebrities on hand to add some extra spice to the evening's festivities including Little Mix, Pixie Lott, George Ezra and Union J.

Tadah! director Dave Gilbank oversaw the evening's proceedings and commented: "We wer

Namibia - The Ohlthaver & List Group of companies - with 13 subsidiaries including Namibia Breweries (home of Windhoek Lager), Namibia Dairies and Pick & Pay Namibia - was voted 'Best Company to Work for' three consecutive years in Namibia and twice in the whole of Southern Africa.

This remarkable achievement is largely attributed to O&L's active employee engagement programme which culminates annually in a gala dinner where employees who excel at living the company's values are rewarded. dB Audio Namibia supported Sindana Communications' vision of a township inspired theme for the 2014 Awards gala on 15 August.

dB Audio Namibia supplied eight Robe Robin Pointes, eight Robe Robin 600 LED Wash and six Robe Robin 300 LED Wash fixtures all controlled by an Avolites Pearl Expert. Also included in the lighting rig were LDR Tono Fresnels, a Canto MSR2000 Follow Spot, ETC Source fours

The Netherlands - One of the longest-established cinema chains in the Netherlands, JT Cinemas has spent the last few years investing in new sites and upgrading its existing venues to offer Dutch audiences the best possible experience. Working closely with leading cinema solutions provider dcinex, JT has chosen Alcons Audio systems for the cutting edge Dolby Atmos installation at its Kerkrade site.

JT distinguishes itself from its competitors by having the highest quality cinema technology in its venues. When Dolby approached dcinex to see if any of the company's clients were interested in Dolby Atmos, JT was the obvious choice. Once JT was on board, Alcons pro-ribbon loudspeakers were the ideal choice to help deliver the required audio quality.

"We believe that innovation drives cinema business and, of course, with digital technology there's been a lot more innovation tha

France - It's not often that an institution over 13 centuries old receives a lighting upgrade but such is the case with the Abbey of Saint Wandrille in Normandy, France, a Benedictine monastery founded in the year 648 that has installed Elation TVL 3000 II dynamic white light LED luminaires in the Abbey's church.

An important part of the Abbey, which has produced 30 saints over the centuries, is an old 13th century barn that was carefully transported to the grounds by monks nearly 50 years ago to serve as the monastery's church. The 48m long by 16m wide structure is 14m high and built of oak, a large wooden building for its age. The Abbey sought to improve the church's indoor lighting with more state-of-the-art illumination but as silence plays a central role in the Benedictine tradition, absolute silence was a must.

"There could be NO noise, absolutely! The fixtures had

UK - Lighting designer Jon Clark has specified Showline's SL BAR 640 luminaires on account of their "impressive" range of colours and clean aesthetic for Benedict Andrew's production of A Streetcar Named Desire at The Young Vic, starring Gillian Anderson.

The 1947 Tennessee Williams classic is currently being staged in the round. Clark's lighting design consists of deliberate, uniform systems, which are used to continually re-inform the performance space and the entire room.

"The SL BAR 640 luminaires are rigged in two parallel lines on an exposed grid above the main playing space, embedded in a uniformly hung, 88 Par Can toplight," says Clark. "Often the aesthetic attributes of a unit are almost as significant in an exposed rig as the light it throws, and that was the case with the design of the SL BAR 640 luminaires. Their clean, ordered round

Australia - Sound Workshop in Canberra, Australia has chosen the new self-powered MJF-210 stage monitor from Meyer Sound. Built for the demanding needs of today's live productions, the MJF-210 is the lightest stage monitor in the Meyer Sound product line.

"The problem has been finding something that delivers the same audio performance, reliability, acceptance and ease of use that all our other Meyer products provide. As soon as we heard the new MJF-210, we knew that our search was over and that it was time to invest. From what I've heard from other Meyer-related sources around we're not the only ones to recognise the potential of this product either, but we're very pleased to put these amazing new monitors into our rental inventory," says Sound Workshops MD, Tony Brighton.

A self-powered system with a low-profile design and an impressive power-to-size ratio, the MJF-

Sweden - This September LumenRadio adds ACME to their growing CRMXchip family. ACME, one of the largest enterprises known worldwide for its specialization in the field of lighting, will now include CRMXchip as a standard feature for their existing and future professional product line.

LumenRadio has been working very closely with ACME during the last couple of months to include the CRMXchip in some of ACME's current bestselling products, such as XP-1000SZ/WZ, XP-16R Spot and Beam, as well as CM-600Z.

"We are very pleased to be in an OEM partnership with LumenRadio. ACME always strives to be in the technology forefront and CRMXchip will help us with just that. With a wireless receiver as a standard feature, our customers will now benefit from having wireless DMX control integrated tightly into the fixture. Also, we are proud knowing our customers get the most reliable wire

UK - PLASA Rigging Conference 2014's line-up has been completed with the announcement of Pushing the Limit - a session that will tackle the misunderstandings surrounding factors of safety in the industry. It is the final piece of the jigsaw for a conference that promises to deliver a lively day of expert insight on Monday 6 October.

Pushing the Limit will be presented by Abigail Mathews, who co-founded Momentum Engineering in 2005. Abigail has been involved a wide range of projects from small, bespoke architectural jobs to multi-million pound mixed use development schemes. In recent years she has specialised in the sports, venue and entertainment sectors, and has worked closely with production teams and specialist rigging contractors on the engineering and delivery of a variety of temporary structures and events.

The session will break down the confusion that can

UK - As the deadline for entries approaches, nominations for the PLASA Awards for Innovation are rolling in. Examples of all the nominated products will be exhibited at the PLASA Show's Innovation Gallery at the centre of the PLASA show (ExCeL London, 5-8 October), forming a focal point for visitors to the exhibition keen to view the latest technologies.

The products will be judged against one another on the strength of their innovation alone. All nominees will have the opportunity to make a 5-minute presentation, during the show, to a team of independent expert judges, who will have eight awards of equal standing at their disposal - plus the option to give a 'Gold' Award to one or more products which they feel reach a particularly high standard of Innovation.

The judges are tasked with making their decisions based on the PLASA Awards criteria for Innovation. The winners will

UK - The Delta Sound Group (formed of Delta Sound UK, Delta Sound Dubai, Delta Sound Qatar and Sound By Design) has announced the launch of its recently rebranded and re-designed company website.

The new website illustrates the considerable range of projects and events delivered by the Delta Sound Group, and reflects the company's global reach as one of the leading audio and event communications suppliers throughout the Middle East as well as the UK and Europe.

"We wanted the website to be a visual representation of the size, scale and breadth of the services we supply," comments Emma Gallagher director of Delta Sound (UK). "The company has been trading since 1988 and since then has been involved in some of the world's most high profile and exciting live events. It is therefore vital that our online branding truly reflects this. 2014 has been an exciting time of

South Korea - With a spectacular September opening ceremony in Incheon, South Korea, the Asian Games officially opened its doors on 10,000 athletes from 45 nations, who will be competing in familiar events like basketball and athletics, as well as less well-known disciplines like Wushu, Sepak Takraw and Dragon Boat Rowing.

Second only in scale to the Olympics in the world of sport, the competition already has a winner in the competition for audio and IP-networking - German audio and video specialist Lawo.

Approximately 110 IP-based Lawo Commentary Control Units (LCU) will ensure smooth broadcasting of the commentators' audio, from the opening ceremony through the athletic competitions and large soccer stadium, to the judo competition in the smaller sports halls. In addition, 10 Lawo mc2 consoles are being used to handle the sound mix - eight mc2-56 consoles in the different ve

UK - PLASA London 2014 has added a host of new sessions to its Professional Development Programme. The latest additions are spread across the programme's two venues - the Audio and AV Theatre and the Lighting and Stage Theatre - and include contributions from Martin Professional, d&b audiotechnik, Rockart Design, the Association of Sound Designers, Total Training and :entertaining sustainability.

The Professional Development Programme is part of PLASA London 2014, which takes place at ExCeL London from 5 - 8 October. Since launching in 2010, it has welcomed more than 300 speakers and thousands of attendees. The programme's aim is to test theory, inspire debate and showcase expert insight from the different areas of the entertainment technology industry.

Rockart Design's session, Making the Eurovision Set Come to Life, will see Nicoline L. Refsing reveal the creative pro

UK / Italy - D.T.S. has appointed Qeytek as its exclusive partner in the UK, as a part of the D.T.S. expansion plan, with a focus on premium customer service throughout the UK.

Cally Bacchus, owner and director of Qeytek comments, "With the innovative release of the popular Jack moving light and the continuation of product releases including Raptor, Nick Nrg line, Max and Wonder, we have a fantastic portfolio of product to offer the market.

D.T.S. has a full production and assembly line, quality control, R & D department, all based at their headquarters in Misano Adriatico, Italy. Its products are used around the world, including events such as the Sochi Olympic Winter Games 2014.

I've been equally impressed with the evolution of the popular FOS, Delta and Scena LED luminaires. It is clear this company is on the rise.

"Service and support is very important, and t

UK - Ambersphere Solutions has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for the Ayrton range of LED Luminaires and creative LED imaging solutions. The appointment enables Ambersphere Solutions to extend its sales, service, support and training facilities to cover Ayrton products in the UK.

The Ayrton collection of LED lighting solutions offers lighting designers creative lighting tools built to withstand the tough demands of touring and installations. The innovative range includes indoor and outdoor fixtures, static and moving yoke fixtures including the signature Magicpanel range.

Ambersphere Solutions is the exclusive UK distributor for Clay Paky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat. "Ayrton offer a high quality range of modular creative LED products which perfectly complement the existing Ambersphere product range," says Ambersphere managing director Glyn O'Donoghue.

World - With a Meyer Sound Leo and Lyon linear sound reinforcement system supporting just his vocal, acoustic guitar, and loop pedal, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has single-handedly captivated 10,000-plus crowds on his latest world tour. Among the many concert reviewers impressed by how well Sheeran's one-man show translated in a large arena, Katie Atkinson of Billboard writes, "He had the crowd wrapped around his finger, and the booming sound to pack an arena with just an acoustic guitar and his voice."

Chris Marsh, Sheeran's production manager and FOH engineer, says: "I've had a chance to hear Ed's music on a lot of different systems, for various festivals, one-off shows, and opening for acts like Taylor Swift. But whenever I came across Leo - and more recently, Lyon - I've noticed a marked difference in sound quality, and hence a marked difference in my

UK - US rapper Childish Gambino recently wowed audiences at a one-off 02 Academy Brixton gig, with lighting designer Sarah Landau delivering a stunning show design. In testament to their longevity and robust technology, the design was complemented by the classic yet versatile Philips Vari-Lite VL2000 Spot and VL3000 Wash luminaires.

Landau worked alongside touring lighting director/operator Christian Lincoln to specify 18 VL3000 Wash luminaires and 16 VL2000 Spots. Supplied by Siyan Ltd, the luminaires performed key roles within the design and crucially worked well alongside the extensive visual element.

"Childish Gambino's show is very theatrical, not a typical rap concert," explains Landau. "The visual design is focused on projections - four 20K projectors mapped onto an upstage screen, a downstage scrim, side columns, and stage set pieces. The Vari-Lite lumi

USA - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB was recently a key player in the spectacle of Burning Man 2014, held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. W-DMX made it possible for a series of art cars, bedazzled in light, move through the festival with control coming from a moving stage.

Burning Man is an annual event and a thriving year-round culture. The event takes place the week leading up to and including Labour Day, and is dedicated to the spirit of community, art and self-reliance, culminating in a burning of a series of effigies as a spontaneous act of "radical self-expression". It is a popular communal event full of unique entertainment.

Walter Productions, located in Phoenix, Arizona brought a parade of five oversized art cars plus their moving 'Kalliope' main stage to Burning Man. The cars and stage were illuminated eye candy for spectators, which were all wirelessl

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